Automobile hood clamp



' Feb.. 20, 1923.. 1,445,851.

1. M. SCHUTZ.

AUTOMOBILE HOOD CLAMP.

FILED .MAY 29. 19420.

i can be` applied isi` very great. Another fea rasata een as, inea ivi-1m i i il lit i i tiran la it HJ'SEPH 1W. SCHUTZ,- F CI-IIGAGO, ILLINOIS, frSSIEGrhTOlt` TQ JOSEPH M. SCHUTZ, INC.,`]E

UHICJllG-(l, ILLINIS,

a conronirrion or rrmr'nors.

nuroiironrtn noon clearer.

Application filed May 29,

To all whom t may concern: ,y

Be it known that li, Josevi-r M. Sor-inra a citizen ot the United tates, and a resident oi Chiragdinfthc county of Cook and State ot' llllinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements `in an Automobile Hood Clampett which the tollowing a y specification.

holding My invention. relatesv to an improved `vlamp particularly adapted for clamping or` down an automobile hood, though it will be obvious that my improved clamp can tions; i

rlhe object of my invention is to provide be advantageously employed in other situa- `an automobile-hood `clamp which shall bef.

capable of being operated easily; `which shall hold .the hood clamped dovvnwith a strong spring pressure; which shall be sightly in appearance, and which will drop down or swing freelytoa position where it `will not interfere with free access to the spacebeneaththe hood when it is disconnected from the hood. j

A particular feature oit my invention "resides in the provision ol" `a clamping lever so arranged that its ulcrum can be brought into close relation to the projection on the `hood to be engaged and whereby7 though the lever is not long7 the clamping force which ture ofparticular importance relates to the mechanical construct-ion `of the clamps by which l `am enabled to rapidly and cheaply manufacture these clamps by means of the usual punch press method, the main parts beine` `readily produced outoi' lat stock. A.

. t'ujrt er feature relates tothe means whichlt employ for holding the clamp sothat it cannot rattle and incidentally holding the lower edge of thehood inwardly"and pre of the front end ofan automobile` provided:

with hood clamps inadein accordanci-l. with my invention; l. i

y in holding` position; and

; great pressure and to accomplish the `ing and the closing little effort.

ieee. serial nassaui.

\ llgure 2 is a `itragmentary sectional view tekenen the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure is a side elevation of one of' the clamps and lin@` f3fff3 of Figure 2 showing Figure t is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the` clamping levers as they appear when brought into contact with. the lmob on the hood in the operation of clampingthe hood down` (lnefundamental idea'underlying my invention relates to of levers and fulcrums by which I am enabled `to clamp "the `hood down with a very .openof the clamp with very ln said drawings, l represents the hood ol?` an automobile, the lower edgesof the sides oit which are arranged above and usu-` of contact with the side members chassisof the automobile. vAbove allyl out of the thelower edge ot the side of the hood at a suitable height l provide projections l which are adapted to be engaged by `the clamping devices to `hold the hood down. The clamping devices -comprise `two main members or levers 6 and 7. rlhe member 7 constitutes the operating lever and is pivot-ally connected at 8 between its ends to the tree end 9 oi the member 6. The member 6 constitutes a holding member and is connected at its lower end 10 to the `iframe 3f at a point vertically beneath the `[n ojection orlrnob 4. The member 6` is `connected tothe chassis by `means of a staple-like member 11 which has) its ends securely riveted or; otherwise fastenedin the horizontal plate `cti the. frame member l? and stands up 'from said plate. The inem- .ber (3 comprises an open sided bo`x-like lower a compreswithin which is housed sionspring 1.4L. The part 13 istormed out `oi? a single strip of metal bent between its ends to form a bottom wall l5 and side walls, 16; Adjacent to the upper end 17 these side walls are `bent inwardly into close relation to eachother andare permanently or rigidly connectedtogether by means of is a sectional view taken on theI the clamp` y the peculiar arrangement y The member 6 is connected to the staple 11 by means of a rod 21 which extends longitudinally between the side walls 16 and through a central perforation in the bottom wall 15. The upper end 22 of the rod 21 is threaded and engages a nut member 23.

whi'clris guided between 'the sides 16 and is provided with-V projecting parts 24 which overlap andy engage'the edges of the walls 16 for holding the member in place. The spring 14 is mounted within the boX Surrounding the rodV 2 1 and is confined between the nut member 21 at its top andthe bo'ttomv'all .15 at its lower end. The free lower end of the rod 21 is formed into an eye 253v around the staple 11 and is thus permanently secured to same. This form of connection permits the clamping device as a ywhole to drop freely down and away from the hood, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2', and it does not interfere with free access tothe space beneath the hood. Theupper end 17 of the rside walls of the member 6 are bent or curved edgewise or in their planes and parallel with each other upon agrelatively small radius so that these curved ends which form a hook may be centered 'upon the projection t. The end 'i9 of the lever 7 is likewise bent or curved edgew'isev to lie within the ends 17 when the device is in clan'iping` position as shown in Figure 3.

The projections or knobs et each comprise a flat flange-like, base 26, asshank 27 and a head 28. In the form shownythese knobs are( formed up out of sheet metal. the hollow(A shank having an out-turned circumferential flange 29 at its outer end around. and beneath which the inner edge of the hollpw'head 28 is formed. The knob is secured t0 the hood by rivets 30 which secure the baselfiange 26,` and a reinforcing plate 531 may be provided within the hood for sirenpfthening;J the hood at this point. The

shank 27 is preferably tapered from the hase tothe head. being smaller just beneath the head. This tapered form makes a knob which ris strong, rigid and light ,land provides a downwardly and outwardly inclined clamp cont-acting` surface on it-s upper side which tends to cause the clamp to slide towards and into contact with the headin the clamping operation, and as the clamp is held down in clan'iping position bv the spring;` 14 it. `is `held with considerable pressure f against the head and thus held against moving about or striking the hood and makingr a rattling' noise when the automobile is run ning.

To assist in the tight clamping of the hood l preferably arrange the staple il closer to the side of the hood. than lthe posi tion of the upper end o'lt the clamp on the shank 27 so that the pull of the clamp is slightly inwardly upon the hood as well as downwardl);,y and ermsequentlv they lower edge of the hood is held against sidewise movement as well as heingr held down and the possibilityv of amv rattling of the hood. is eliminated.

Vthe shank "27, as best shown in ldinure l'. is of small diameter ieiativel)v to the curva ture of the. ends of the members '7 and 8 and the shank serves as a fnleruin around which to pull the lever in the clampingr operfe tion. The pivoted connee'lion of the. iwo members heine' at the extreme end of the curved part of the member (i. forms a mov alile fnlerum in eonneetion with the lever 7. It will he understood from Figure l that the great compu "on or locking pressure olt the device is attained by the close pro imitv of the shank 27 tothe. pivoed connor tion of the two levers and this makes he operation of prvinpl the hooked end ol' the member (i over the projection -lvery easv. Even the initiation ol the, locking' ell'i'irl is easilyv accomplished. fis the member 7 swung down from the position shown n Figure 4l to the final position shown in Figure ll the pivoted connection between the two members is forcibly' raised over the Shank 27. thus continuall',v .-iorteniinr the i the lever between these two pointsy length ol until. the pivot 8 is carried over the shank 27, at which tin'ic the force ol` the spi .ej l-l is sutiicient to draw the hooked end of the member 7 close around the shank 27 and serves as soonl as the lever 7 is released lo force the operating end of the lever 7 into firm and close Contact with the lever end ol the member (l. liv this means the lever 7 is prevented from rattling' in use. lt will be clear that the clamping; device is sell"- adjusting to enpr ej and hold the projection Ll even tlmugrh the height of the. projection may not be at a definite or predeterinineil point. The clamp can be properl)y operated if the shank 27 enters within the curved end of the lever 7, as the clamp is lifted into operzuinn` position. as shown in Figure 4. where l have illustrated the shank 27 al several dil'le rent l'ieigrhts.

ln opening` the clamp the free end $2 oi' 7 is swung' up and the eurved end the lever i 'i9 is thus pressedV forcil'ilv down against the shank 27 thus forcibly lifting; or prying the member G upwardly against the forro of the snrinn lll and as the lever 7 is lifted higher the curved end slides around the shank 27 and forces the pivoted connection R over lllll lil."y

projection and Said liever zinil ineinher being inevable in plane substantially parallel with -hefsicle el' the hood for engaging and ,lisengnging said projection, the lever having an enfl adapted to eng-ege the top ei' the projection and i0 hehl the hainl'le in :Inti-rn tling engegemen with the body 0i? Aihe ilevices, and in snhs'antiel parallel relation thereto.

ln n ileviee ei' the kind described, a. pim'ectzionl on the heeil,y an extensible ineinher pivot-elly niennteil on the ehzif-ssis, a Spring yieldingly holding said inemher uga-inst extension, said member having a curved heel; el relatively large radius en its 'li'ree end, :i lever having iin'eperating; en curve-:i Similar to the curve o'li die heel; and piveeil Le the free end of the lever at a. weint within the curved mrt el the lever whereby in the engaging operamen there is provided enhicienb latitudeof relative movement to permit the lever to engage lhe projection :it different heights :incl to unse n 'l'oi'cihle extension of the hoek member.

A. device for elainpin hood to ii` chassis; eonipriing' ii hed); mhipfei to he loosely connerted lo the chuseis :it one end, a spring retained exieneihle member having zi cnivefl hook :it one end carried hy said body, u ronlnl bovliell projection on the hood for eiigiigenienii "ny the hook, :l lever rigidly inounte@L between in; ends on the free enil of the enivevl hooi; und having :in end curved similarly to the heoh und non inully extending snhsfuntialhv coincident" therewith when the device is in clamping poeition es :unl for the pnl-pose Specified.

ln witness, whereof I have hereunto signed my naine this 27th luy el May, A. D. 1920.

v :in :nnoninhile JOSEPH M SCHUTZ. 

